"Interesting" Convo (Whew!!!)

This is a discussion on "Interesting" Convo (Whew!!!) within the General Firearm Discussion forums, part of the Related Topics category; First, I need to set the stage. My roommates mother came into town to visit. She's from just outside San Francisco. She has a history ...

"Interesting" Convo (Whew!!!)

First, I need to set the stage. My roommates mother came into town to visit. She's from just outside San Francisco. She has a history of being very emotionally unstable and she proved her total lack of respect for anyone else. I knew all this was coming. So, I took the precaution of moving all of firearms to the home of a trusted friend except for my carry piece. I was fearful that she was go through my room and I had no idea how she would react to guns.

Well her second day here - today - I'd had enough of her crazy rants about the Burger King/US Government Conspiracy so I had a friend come and pick me up so we could go out for burgers. I walked to the front door with my Hk on my hip without even thinking about it. As I turn to tell her and my roommate "goodbye" she whips out with "Why the hell do you have a gun?!?!"

Just what I wanted.... a confrontation with an unbalanced woman about a volitile topic.

Me: I carry because I want to be able to defend myself or my own should something happen.Her: Are you kidding me?! That thing could go off and kill someone! All you have to do is drop it!Me: I assure you, that doesn't happen with semi-autos. When it does, its incredibly rare.Her: Thats a semi-automatic?!!? Are you going to war???---At this point she seemed like she might get hysterical any minute---Me: Look Ms. ******, I carry this because sometimes bad things happen and I believe in being ready for it. Nevermind the fact that the 2nd Amendment says I can carry and own it.Her: You ****ing redneck conservatives are all the same! I can't believe my daughter is living here with you!---Her daughter had been sitting one the couch by her, slowly becoming more aghast with each passing word. The mother then turns to my roommate.---Her: You live in a house with guns and this man?!Roommate: Mom... calm down. In all honesty, I was afraid of guns, too. But living here with Aaron... I actually feel safer because he owns handguns and rifles... Especially with Dave on deployment. [Dave is her husband is at USAF OTS. He asked me to look after her while he's gone.]Her: I cannot believe this! I taught you better than that! What the hell have you done to my daughter?! Wait a second, did you say he has more than one gun?!!!---At this point, my buddy rolls up in his car. None too soon. This was definitely time to egress.---Roommate: Yeah he's got a few rifles... so what?Her: I won't stay in a house where people store firearms.Me: You don't have to worry Ms. ******, I removed them all before you came into town because, to be honest, I don't know you and I was afraid you would have a reaction like this. I'm off now, though. Later.---My roommate's jaw probably hit the floor with the force of a bowling ball. The mother commenced a series of rapid-fire curses about me, my mother, and family. I just kept walking.---

This exchange took a matter of a minute. Supposedly my roommate and her mother had it out for quite a few minutes after I left, as well. She even tried to get into my room - which I had taken to locking when I wasn't home. I am incredibly glad I removed everything from the house. I won't go into how she publicly insults her daughter in front of her or how she took to smoking in the house or any number of other items. I felt no need to be nice to this woman. One of the people I carry to protect is her daughter and that, for some reason, never sat well with her. I am always kind and curteous while carrying (especially OC), but someone who lacks basic human qualities gets nothing from me.

Needless to say, I am spending the next few nights on a friend's couch - only 25 feet from my rifles.

It taught me an important lesson about concealing around unknowns - even friends' family members. Hopefully everyone can take something away from this.

I'm afraid that I would have had one of two reactions. Both are fun, but neither would help the situation. Since nothing else would help either, I probably would go ahead and let one of the reactions fly. Reaction 1: Laugh out loud right in her face. I tend to find people who know everything but none of it true comical. Reaction 2: Pull the gun, hold it at shoulder height and drop it. Since that's all it takes for it to go off, maybe the round will hit her.

Now that I think of it, I probably would have had Reaction 3: While laughing uproarously drop the pistol from shoulder height.

None of these are good reactions, but after 59 years of living on this planet I don't suffer fools lightly.

Ah, room mates' parents. I had a couple of crazy ones back in my dorm days. I had one get upset because I was in Marine NROTC, had a Marine Corps Flag and American Flag hanging on the walls. She didn't want her baby sleeping in the room with a "killer in training" as she put it. Her son wasn't much better, but he and I had a discussion early in the year that wrinkled out most of the problems.

Ya did good with the "lady". Probably kept your cool better than I would have. One of my female friends has a bunch of room mates with whom I will probably have a similar experience if they ever find out I carry.

I REALLY try not to be condescending to people who don't understand guns because I'd be ticked if someone were condescending to me about something I was uncomfortable around. Most people just need education and to try shooting themselves and they suddenly "LOVE" it (as was the case with our neighbors wife).
However, it's REALLY hard not to say something smart or roll my eyes when people look at our guns like they are bugs.

We had a good friend of ours and his girlfriend over a couple of months ago. My husband and I are HUGE gun nuts and our friend likes to believe he's a gun nut. His girlfriend, on the other hand, HATES them.

We had every gun we owned out on the bed, the desk, the dresser. The three of us were having the time of our lives talking "shop" and the poor girlfriend just stood in the center of the room like she was surrounded by cockroaches. It was actually a funny sight to see, but some people just don't like 'em. Why, I shall never know.

We also had shooting at our wedding reception. Some people really took offense to the idea that we would actually have guns at a wedding reception. (Oh the nerve of us to have what WE want on OUR wedding day). Some people left when the shooting started which was fine by us cause we had the time of our lives (as weddings should be).

I would have told her that the reason you removed your firearms was that you were not sure of her mental stability and therefore did not want to have "tools of temptation" placed within her reach, lest she should fully succumb to her anger and go on a shooting spree.

Sorry you had to face that, but it sounds like you did a good job keeping your cool.

I will support gun control when you can guarantee all guns are removed from this planet. That includes military and law enforcement. When you can accomplish that, then I will be the last person to lay down my gun. Then I will carry the weapon that replaces the gun.

I had something similar happen with my Father In-Law, luckily my Wife stood by me on this one. To make a short story longer, since it was our house, the wife and I, we told the Father In-Law to pound sand and vacate the premises. He had a long trip back to Australia and it cost him a fortune to change his ticket.

It sounds like you were nicer than I could ever be, by sleeping at a friend's place on the couch. I most likely would've gotten her bags and placed them outside and then told her to leave. If she refused to leave I would've called 911 to have her removed.

Anyway, good on ya' mate, and I hope you never have to deal with the idiot again.

If you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get yourself knocked down. But remember this: A man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good. ~ Thomas J. Watson, Jr.

A man fires a rifle for many years, and he goes to war. And afterward he turns the rifle in at the armory, and he believes he's finished with the rifle. But no matter what else he might do with his hands - love a woman, build a house, change his son's diaper - his hands remember the rifle.

That lady should have to suffer the terror and humiliation of being attacked when no one is armed to help her.

In fact, with one as contemptuous of gun owners as she is, I would relish having the opportunity to tell her, "Hey, sorry, I could help you, but I'd have to use a gun to do it, and you wouldn't want that."

Sixbravo, you may have handled her okay once this all came down around you, but if you knew her to be this way, I don't know why you let her see a gun at all. If you had taken it out of the house unseen, ALL of this could have been avoided.

Think of the danger you ran the chance of, if she had decided to make a hysterical phone call to the police with a claim that you had been menacing or threatening with your gun.

By the way, if the rule in your house is "no smoking," (never mind "No attempting to trespass in your room!") and she would not abide by the rules of the house. . . "Lady, there's the door! GTF OUT!"

[QUOTE=SonofASniper;308307]I would have told her that the reason you removed your firearms was that you were not sure of her mental stability and therefore did not want to have "tools of temptation" placed within her reach, lest she should fully succumb to her anger and go on a shooting spree.QUOTE]

It's obvious she is WAAAAY past any kind of rational thought or discussion.

I would have a talk with the roommate...next time "mom" wants to come visit, she's invited to stay at a hotel...or a psych ward. If she is that unstable...and she's that loony...she may be "a threat to herself and others". Now that she knows you carry and guns are present in her "baby's home", I would watch your back to make sure she doesn't start making phone calls to the PD. I would call first to get her out of the house.